Ruffling mechanism for sewing machines



y 19 1934 AFB. CLAYTON 1,957,406

RUFFLING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed March 10, 1952 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Wi/iweoy May 1, 1934-. B CLAYTON 1,957,466

RUFFLING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Flled March 10, 1932 2Sheets-Sheet 2 35v am I Patented May 1, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICERUFFLING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Andrew B. Clayton, Union, N. Jassignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machine ruffiing mechanisms, moreparticularly of the type represented in the patent to Clayton, No.1,815,881, of July 21, 1931, and has for an object to provide 5 such amechanism with means under the control of the operator for instantlychanging the stroke of the milling blade from one to another valuebetween predetermined limits and for instantly permitting one of saidlimits to be exceeded at the will of the operator.

With the aboveand other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, theinvention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of apreferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several featuresof the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readilyunderstood by those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a rear end elevation of a sewing machine embodying theinvention. Fig. 2 is a side View of the parts adjacent the sewing point.Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1,and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the sewing machinebracket-arm standard, showing the parts of the device in top plan.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, there is used a sewingmachine having a bed 1, from which rises the standard 2 of the usualgoose-neck terminating in the head 3 in which is mounted the usualreciprocating needle-bar 4 and presser-bar 5 carrying, respectively, theneedle 6 and presser-foot 7. The machine has a raised cloth-plate 8below which and above the bed 1 is journaled the main shaft 9 carryingthe rufiler-actuating eccentric 10 and balancewheel 11.

The rufiler mechanism adjacent the head 3 is old, per se, and comprisesthe usual separatorplate 12 above Which works the ruffler-blade 13pivoted at 14 to the lower end of the ruffier-arm l5 fixed to theforward end of the rufiier rockshaft 16 which is journaled horizontallyin bearings 17 and 18 at the front side of the gooseneck. The rock-shaft16 has fixed to it a curved crank-arm 19 which, in the advanced positionof the ruflier-blade 13, is concentric with the axis of the main-shaft9. The crank-arm 19 is actuated by the vertical pitman 20 which at itslower end embraces the actuating eccentric 10. The pitman 20 ispivotally connected at its upper end at 21 to a guide-head 22 preferablyconstructed substantially in accordance with the (fisclosure of theClayton Patent No. 1,815,881, previously referred to. The guide-head 22is slotted to receive and slide upon the curved arm 19 toward and awayfrom the rock-shaft 16. It will be evident that the closer theguide-head 22 is moved to the rock-shaft 16 the greater will be theamplitude of the reciprocations imparted to the rufiiing blade 13 by thepitman 20. The guide-head 22 is connected by means of the link 23 to thearm 24 of a manually operated bellcrank lever 24, 25 fulcrumed at 26 onthe standard 2. A suitable pull-chain 2'7 extends from the bell-cranklever-arm 25 to a suitable pedal or kneeshiit, not shown. The bell-cranklever 24, 25 is biased in a clockwise direction, Fig. 1, or inopposition to the pull of the chain 27, by the spring 28 which is coiledabout the fulcrumscrew 26 and is anchored at one end 29 in the bearingbracket 18 and at its other end 30 is hooked under the arm 25-. Thedownward motion of the arm 25 to increase the stroke of the rulilingblade 13 is limited by the stop 31 which is in the form of an L-shapedmember, the shank 32 of which is received in a vertical guideway 33 inthe bearing bracket 18. A screw 34 passing through a slot 35 in thestop-shank 32 is threaded into the bearing bracket 18 to hold the stop3l in any desired position of vertical adjustment to predetermine themaximum desired rufiling stroke.

The minimum desired ruliling stroke is predetermined by the verticallyadjustable stopshoulder 36 formed on the stop-arm 37 which is pivotallymounted by means of the screw 38 upon the stop-carrier bracket 39 havinga vertical riband-groove sliding engagement 40 with the racket 18. Thestop-carrier bracket 39 is formed with a slot 41 through which passes aholding screw 42 to clamp the stop-carrier bracket 39 in any desiredposition of vertical adjustment upon the bearing bracket 18. Thestop-member 37 is provided with a downward extension or handle 43 whichmay be grasped at any time by the operator and shifted to the dottedline position shown in Fig. 3 to remove the stop-shoulder 36 from itsposition blocking upward movement of the bell-crank lever arm 25 underthe influence of the biasing spring 28. When the stop 36 is shifted toone side of the bell-crank lever-arm 25,

the guidehead 22 is moved by the spring 28 to its extreme positionadjacent the free end of the curved arm 19 and the stroke of theruffler-blade 13 is reduced to a small value less than the normalfeed-stroke of the feed-dog '7 and hence produces no ruffle and isinefiective. The stop-arm 37 is free on the screw 38 and is gravitybiased to swing automatically from its dotted line to its full lineposition, Fig. 3, when the bell-crank lever-arm 25 is pulled downwardlyby the operator to a pos tion within its normal range of movementbetween the stops 31 and 36.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:-

1. In a rufiling attachment, a reciprocating ruffling blade, means forreciprocating said blade, means including a manually operatedcontrollever for determining the amplitude of the reciprocations of saidblade, and a pair of stops for limiting the movements of saidcontrol-lever in opposite directions, one of said stops being in theform of a manually swingable pivoted lever having a stop-shoulder whichis shifted at will out of the path of said manually operated lever.

2. In a ruining attachment, a reciprocating ruffiing blade, means forreciprocating said blade, means including a manually operatedcontrollever for determining the amplitude of the reciprocations of saidblade, and a pair of stops for limiting the movements or" saidcontrol-lever in opposite directions, one of said stops being in theform of a manually swingable pivoted lever having a stop-shoulder whichis shifted at will out of the path of said manually operated lever, saidpivoted lever being biased to return automatically to stopping position.

3. In a rufiiing attachment, a reciprocating ruffiing blade, means forreciprocating said blade, means including a manually operatedcontrollever for determining the amplitude of the reciprocations of therufiiing blade, and a pair of stops for limiting the movements or" saidcontrol-lever in opposite directions, one of said stops being shiftablymounted for movement by the operator in a direction to one side of thepath of movement of said control-lever to permit the normal range ofmovement of said control-lever to be exceeded, said stop being biased toreturn automatically to a predetermined stopping position in the path ofmovement of said controllever when said lever is returned to a positionwithin its normal range of movement.

4. In a ruifiing attachment, a reciprocating ruf fling blade, means forreciprocating said blade, means including a manually operated controlmember for determining the amplitude of the reciprocations of saidblade, a spring for biasing said manually operated control member in onedirection, and a stop for limiting the movement of said control memberunder the influence of its spring, said stop being manually shiftableout of the path of movement of said control member and biased to returnautomatically to stopping position in such path.

5. In a ruining attachment, a reciprocating ruifling blade, means forreciprocating said blade, means including a manually operated controlmember for determining the amplitude of the reciprocations of saidblade, a spring for biasing said manually operated control member in onedirection, a stop for limiting the movement of said control member underthe influence of its spring, said stop being manually shiftable out ofthe path of movement of said control member and biased to automaticallyreturn to stopping position in such path, and means permittingadjustment of said stop to vary the position of said control member whenin engagement therewith.

ANDREW B. CLAYTQN.

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